TRENTON, N.J. — Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia renewed her call Thursday for legislation requiring voters to show identification at New Jersey polling places, arguing that Democratic lawmakers continue to block a reform she says is widely supported by the public.
New Jersey currently does not require voters to present identification at the polls. Fantasia, a Republican who represents portions of Sussex, Morris and Warren counties, said the lack of a voter ID standard undermines confidence in elections.
“Voter ID isn’t extreme. Ignoring 80% of voters is,” Fantasia said. “What’s extreme is stonewalling a basic safeguard that voters across the political spectrum already agree on.”
Fantasia cited national polling to support her position. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 83% of Americans support requiring voters to show a government-issued photo ID, while a 2024 Gallup poll found that 83% of respondents agreed first-time voters should be required to show proof of citizenship.
“This is a basic safeguard,” Fantasia said. “If you need ID to board a plane, buy a beer or enter a public building, you should need it to vote. Elections should meet that same standard.”
Fantasia said the issue has taken on greater urgency as Republicans in Congress advance the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
The New Jersey voter ID proposal Fantasia sponsors, Assembly Bill A197, was first introduced in 2018 by then-Assemblyman Parker Space but has not advanced through the Legislature.
Fantasia also referenced recent voter registration data reported by the New Jersey Globe, which found the state added 6,411 unaffiliated voters and 216 Republicans last month, while losing 1,042 registered Democrats.
“Democrats are losing their own voters,” Fantasia said. “Maybe they should stop listening to the most extreme voices in their party and explain why they keep dismissing what people actually want.”
Thirty-six states require voters to present some form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Courts have repeatedly upheld voter identification laws.
